Testament by Kim Sherwood
Published in paperback by riverrun on 13 June 2019 (already out in hardback and ebook)
Publisher's description
Of everyone in her complicated family, Eva was always closest to her grandfather. She is making a film about his life. She is with him when he dies.
It is only when she finds the letter from the Jewish Museum in Berlin, hidden in his painting studio, that she realises how many secrets he kept.
As she uncovers everything he endured in the Holocaust - and what it took to learn to live again - Eva is confronted by the lies that haunt her family, and a truth that changes her own identity.
Testament is an outstanding debut novel about hope, survival, family and courage. Eva is the granddaughter of a world-renowned artist who 'reinvented' himself after surviving labour camps in Austria. Joseph Silk told his family nothing about his traumatic experiences, but now his testimony (which he wanted destroyed) has been found by the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Eva gradually pieces together the tragedy in his past and the grief he carried with him for most of his life. Testament is an exploration of how the past can shape our lives - not just our own past, but that of previous generations. It's beautifully written with vivid poetic descriptive prose. Eva has to make a decision - should her grandfather be remembered by his testimony or by the art he has created since. Unlike many other Holocaust-themed books, Testament explores how Holocaust survivors chose to live their lives afterwards, torn between putting the traumatic past behind them or sharing their stories to educate future generations. An enjoyable read - out in paperback soon!
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Published by Tinder Press in July 2018
Publisher's description
It's 1969, and holed up in a grimy tenement building in New York's Lower East Side is a travelling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the date they will die. The four Gold children, too young for what they're about to hear, sneak out to learn their fortunes.
Such prophecies could be dismissed as trickery and nonsense, yet the Golds bury theirs deep. Over the years that follow they attempt to ignore, embrace, cheat and defy the 'knowledge' given to them that day - but it will shape the course of their lives forever.
On the surface, The Immortalists is a family drama set against a backdrop of Jewish practices and family expectations. But the clever premise means there's so much more bubbling below. This is a story of mortality, fate, grief, love and guilt. Beautiful writing and a powerful story took me on a journey through the decades, as I immersed myself into the lives of the four Gold siblings. The book focuses on each sibling in turn, with the life decisions they made and any resulting consequences - some stories slightly stronger than others. The Immortalists isn't what I would call an uplifting read and wasn't always an easy one, but it's certainly thought provoking. How would you live your life if you believed that a particular day would be your last?
Unbroken by Madeleine Black
Published in April 2017
Publisher's description:
Violently gang-raped when she was thirteen years old, and raped three more times before the age of eighteen, Madeleine has experienced more trauma in her life than most ever will.
Living in a state of shock and self-loathing, it took her years of struggle to confront the buried memories of that first attack and begin to undo the damage it wrought, as men continued to take advantage of her fragility in the worst possible way.
Yet, after growing up with a burden no teenager should ever have to shoulder, she found the heart to carry out the best revenge plan of all: leading a fulfilling and happy life. But the road to piecing her life back together was long and painful. For Madeleine, forgiveness was the key. True forgiveness takes genuine effort. It takes a real desire to understand those who have done us so much harm. It is the ultimate act of courage.
My verdict
Unbroken is a hard-hitting memoir. This is the story of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl from North-West London who was brutally raped, not just once but several times - a horrific night that shaped the rest of her life. This was a painful book to read, so I can't even comprehend how difficult it must have been to write. Some of the descriptions are brutal and graphic, yet Unbroken is much more than just a book about rape. Following years of struggle and self-loathing, Madeleine Black found the strength to embark on a journey of self-discovery and to learn to forgive, love and hope. And this book IS her journey, dwelling far more on her search for acceptance and peace as she comes to terms with the past. This isn't a book that you can 'enjoy' but it's a powerful story of a woman's resilience and courage. A lesson to us all.
So that's it for now! But I have many more Jewish-themed books on my list and will reading (and reviewing) them over the coming months. So do pop back to Off-the-Shelf Books for more updates!
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